Global Connections

Learn more about the Global Connections course.

The purpose of this class is to allow each student to explore another culture in a supervised setting with mentors who guide the process. By participating in the Global Connections experience, students will develop personal spiritual formation, experience global cultures, learn about other perspectives and world views, and actively participate in service and witness projects. (This mission statement is aligned with the Evangel University Mission Statement and EU 20 Outcomes for students at Evangel University.)

Global Connections (ICST 350): Academic Outline

Global Connections is an intercultural studies course focused on equipping students to experience, reflect on and evaluate cultures other than their own. Through immersion and observation in another culture, students learn about another culture, and also about themselves.

Global Connections is a three-credit course comprised of a two-credit hybrid course and a one-credit lab experience.

The lab may be completed in one of the following four ways (2 credit) :

Lab 1 (Lecture 10): Previous intercultural experience

All previous intercultural experiences must be approved by a Global Connections committee. Once a previous experience has been approved by the committee, it is the obligation of the student to fulfill the one-credit hybrid portion of the class including, as mentioned above, an Integrative Personal Reflection paper or Lab Experience Portfolio.

“A previous intercultural experience” may be interpreted broadly. Past intercultural experiences may satisfy Lab 1 (Lecture 10) requirements if they can be documented in the Integrative Reflection Paper or Lab Experience Portfolio according to the building blocks of culture as discussed in Craig Storti’s, Figuring Foreigners Out.

Lab 2 (Lecture 20): Cross-cultural experience in the local region

A cross-cultural experience in the local region will encompass many different opportunities, including weekend visits or short multi-trip experiences to local ethnic communities, visits to local ethnic churches in the area and participation in service projects with local service and social justice organizations.

Lab 3 (Lecture 30): Cross-cultural experience in the United States

A cross-cultural experience within the United States will allow students the opportunity to experience cultural diversity inside the boundaries of their own country. These experiences will include all the elements of a short-term mission trip experience, including travel, submersion into American subcultures, team bonding activities and celebration experiences. These trips will most often occur during holiday breaks within the academic calendar, most often spring break, summer break and Christmas break.

Lab 4 (Lecture 40-90): Cross-cultural experience outside the United States

A cross-cultural experience outside of the United States will occur in locations where the Assemblies of God and Evangel University have preexisting relationships. Each location will be carefully selected with attention to length of travel, student safety, economic feasibility, and quality of experience.

Below are the possible cross-cultural experiences outside the United States.

About Evangel

Evangel is an accredited, liberal arts university with more than 100 academic programs on the cutting edge of today's professional fields. Our commitment to the integration of faith, learning and life attracts students from a wide variety of Christian denominational backgrounds who have a strong commitment to academics with a desire to combine their Christian faith with every aspect of their lives.